"Ayuso was supposed to do the Tour. Do you see him? No, he won’t do the Vuelta" - UAE team boss has no plans to send Juan Ayuso to ride the Spanish grand tour

While Tadej Pogacar has a pretty flawless Tour de France, the same cannot be said about his teammate Juan Ayuso. The Spaniard with a Vuelta a Espana podium finish in his palmares was intended to stay in the GC as a co-leader, but as he had to abandon the race during second week, the focus has to shift.

Naturally, Tuttobici asked the UAE Team Emirates boss Mauro Gianetti about whether there is a chance the 21-year-old would return to his home Grand Tour in August. "Ayuso was supposed to do the Tour. Do you see him? No, he won’t do the Vuelta. I have a lot of strong riders to send there," is the strong resolution of Gianetti.

In recent days, there have been rumors that the young Spaniard has a contract that states that he does not go to the Grand Tours to pull for Tadej. "But do you think I would sign a contract like that?" Gianetti responded. "Whoever goes fast has the team at their disposal. And Tadej seems to go fast and win a lot."

Racing for the UAE's super team, Juan Ayuso won't be always guaranteed a leadership in coming years as there are more potential leaders than actual leadership opportunities. Mario Cipollini believes Ayuso should stay patient rather than seek a way out of his contract, naming examples of greats such as Miguel Indurain or Chris Froome, whose careers also started as other's super domestiques. "He risks stopping racing. I'm exaggerating, clearly, but it's not easy to get out of this situation. However, the risk that this matter will condition his career for years is very real."